Building material and method of and means for making same



July 1 1931. H. E. WHITE 1,813,520

' 6 MATERIAL AND METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR MAKING SAME Filled Nov. 19. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 V7 W7 F Patented July 7, 193i HALBERT' E. WHITE, OF TAMPA, FLORIDA BUILDING MATERIAL AND METHOD OF AhTD MEANS FOR MAKING Application filed November 19, 1928. Serial No. 320,392.

which not only serve to stiffen or strengthen the plates but also serve to receive plaster or cementitious material which is keyed therein; and also relates to articles formed therefrom and to the method of manufacturing the same.

Among the objects of this invention are to provide an improved sheathing or building material; to provide a metallic sheathing having peculiarly shaped grooves formed therein; to provide a metallic sheathing having integrally formed longitudinal projections, which rojections are higher on one side. than on t e other and which have walls protruding on the opposite side of the sheet; to provide a sheathing formed of sheet metal with longitudinal grooves which are so shaped that the sheet metalmay be rolled in a direction longitudinal of the grooves to make cylindrical members or the like; to provide a novel method of forming grooves particularly of a dove-tail shape in sheet metal and to provide suitable forming members for use in roducing such sheathing.

In t e accompanying drawings illustrating this invention:

Figure 1 is a sectional view showing the dies and the first steps in the manufacture of the sheathing; V v

Figure 2 is asimilar view showing the second step which is made by the same dies and which completes the grooves or channels;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the bottom die and guide or gauge;

Figure 4 is a crossesectional view of a portion of the completed sheathing, showing plaster applied thereto;

Fi ure 5 is a bottom plan View of the sheat ing shown in Figure 4:;

Figure 6 is a front view showing a pair of forming rolls for bending or curving the sheets longitudinally of the grooves and showing a sheet passing therethrough;

Fi ure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the s eet passing through the forming rolls;

Figure 8 is a vertical. sectional view showing a column formed by utilizing a cylinder made by rolling the sheets as illustrated in Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a sectional view taken on the line 9-9 of Figure 8;

Figure 10 is a sectional view taken on the line 1010 of Figure 8; and

Figure 11 is a plan or diagrammatic view illustrating sheathing having rotating grooves, such sheets being adapted for use in forming conical members, corner pieces or the like. I 7 My improved sheathing, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, is formed of sheet metal and comprises a substantially flat plate 12 and integrally formed projections 13 which provide grooves on the opposite side of the plate. In the usual forms adapted for siding, floors, or ceilings, these grooves are substantially parallel and extend longitudinally of the plate. The grooves or channels are made in oross-section in theno'vel form particularly shown in Figure 4, being of a substantially undercut or dove-tail shape. However, one edge 14 of the outer wall or face 15 of each of the channels projects further from the plate or main surface 12 than does the opposite edge 16. In other words, the outer face 15 lies at a slight angle to the plate 12. The inner corners or reentrant angles 17 of the channels are also formed so that they project slightly beyond the opposite face ofthe plate or plane portion 12 of the sheet, thereby] V forming parallel ridges or projections along such side of the plate or sheet. By means of this construction relatively large grooves 18 are provided which open toward one side of the plate and smaller grooves 19 are provided which open toward the opposite side of the plate, the walls of which grooves converge in such a manner that cement-itious material 20 placed on either side of the sheathing will be securely keyed or fastened thereto.

The channels are -formed by'ineans of any suitable press. The die 21 has a longitudinal rib or projection 23 which corresponds in cross-section with the grooves 19 andhas a channel or depression 24, the bottom of which is adapted to form or corresponds with the outer wall 15 of the channels in the sheathing.

The die 22 has a longitudinal groove 25 which coacts with the projection 23 in forming the sides of the channels. It also has a rib or projection 26 which coacts with the forward portion of the recess 24 in forming the channels. The die 22 is cut away as inclicated at 27 so that the projection 26 will clear the previously formed side of the channels as indicated in Figure 2 and at the same time this portion of the die will coact with the adjacent portion of the lower die 21 in keeping the already formed wall of the channel in proper position. An adjustable guide or gauge is provided for regulating the distance apart of the channels and also their position as regards being parallel or at an angle to each other. This guide comprises a bar 28 which is shaped at its upper edge as shown at 29 to fit in the grooves 19 and is car 'ied on belts 30, adjusting nuts 31 holding the same in adjusted position.

In the manufacture of the sheathing, a plate or metal sheet 12 is fed diagonally or at an angle to the dies, as shown in Figure 1, guide strips or plates 32 being provided for guiding the same if desired. lVhen th plate is inserted the desired distance the first punching or impressionis made as indicated at m, the sheet is then fed downwardly until the projection thus formed engageswith the guide 29, and the dies are again operated to form the next punching or projections which will be properly spaced from the first punching, and this is continue l until the entire sheet is passed through the dies. It will be seen that this forms one side only of the projections 13, but the sheet is then turned end for end and the first punching or projection is brought against the side wall 33 the groove 2% in the lover die as indicated in Figure 2, and the upper die is then moved downwardly, which completes the projection 13. The sheet is then shoved or moved upwardly until the neXt projection engages with the wall 33, this wall serving during such operation as a guide to control the movement of the sheet. This operation is continued until all of the punchings have been completed into projections 13, as indicated in Figure 16; the guide 28 is adjusted so that one end will be farther from the dies than the other, as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 3, which will give the desired angularity of the projections.

The sheets may be of any desired length, depending upon the size of the press or dies, but I have made sheathing of approximately nine feet in length, which sheathing may be arranged with the projections running vertically for the side walls of buildings and may be covered on one or both sides with any suitable fastener or cementitious material, as indicated in Figure 41 It may also be used in the flat form for floors or ceilings.

In order to form cylinders or columns, as shown in Figure 8, with the projections arranged circumferentially, it is necessary to roll the sheathing through suitable forming rolls as indicated in Figure 7, in order to bring it to the desired shape. The projection of one side of the channel, as shown at 14, beyond the other side, as shown at 16, and the projections 17 on the opposite sides of the plate are particularly beneficial for the purpose of making such bend by means of the forming rolls. As shown in Figure 7, the sheathing is passed between the rolls 34 and 35 which represent the ordinary rolls of this character and then engages with the third roll 36 which completes-the bending operation.

On account of the raised points 14, the sheathing will be caught and fed through the rolls in a proper manner, whereas if the outer walls 15 of the projections 13 wereparallel to the sheet, they would merely be flattened down withoutproperly feeding through the rolls. As the material is fed through the holes, theseouter faces are rolled down to a substantially parallel position, as indicated in Figure 6, and'the reentrant angles or grooves 19 are slightly accentuated so that they make ample recesses forthe reception of the plastic material 37, as indicated in Figure 8, so that the plastic material which may be placed around the cylinder, as for instance in forming a column, will be securely keyed to the metal. I

In order to complete the cylinder or column, the projections 13 are flattened down along the edgesas indicated in Figure 9, and

then the edges are double seamed or crimped together, as shown in Figure 10, which makes a substantially tight joint along the cylinder. These cylinders may be formed of fairly heavy stock of any desired diameter and may be used wherever applicable.

From this description it will be seen that I provide a building material which may be made in various forms and which is extreinely durable although comparatively cheap in construction.

It will also be observed that various changes may be made in the method of manufacture and in the proportion of the parts without departing from my invention which is pointed out in'the following claims in which I claim: I V

1. Sheathing having substantially trapezoidal integrally formed projections, one edge of each projection extending farther from the sheet than the other edge.

2. Sheet metal having grooves of substantially dove-tail shaped cross-section, one edge of each groove projecting farther from the sheet than the other edge and the sides of the grooves where they oin the sheet projecting somewhat beyond the'opposite side of the sheet, substantially as described.

3. A sheet. of building material having projections 13 with substantiallyv fiat outer faces 15, the edges 14: of said-outer faces'extending farther from the sheet than the edges 16, said grooves also having projections 17 along the sides which project beyond the opposite face of the sheet.

4. The method of forming sheet metal cylinders which consists in making sheets having longitudinal channels therein which are substantially dove-tailed in cross section but project farther from the sheet on one side than on the other and passing the sheet through forming rolls longitudinally of the channels to curve the same, and finally fastening the edges of the sheet together to complete the cylinder.

5. The method of forming sheet metal cylinders which consists in making sheets with longitudinal integrally formed projections extending on either side of the sheet and forming channels, the outer walls of the projections being of unequal distance from the sheet, then rolling the sheet in forming rolls, then flattening the projections along the edges of the sheet,'and finally seaming the edges together to complete the cylinder.

6. Means for forming a substantially clovetailed projection in metal sheets, comprising a die having a longitudinal channel of approximately the width of the projection and having substantially parallel sides with the bottom arranged at an angle thereto and a second die coacting with the first named die with a longitudinal projection having one face substantially parallel to one side of said channel and adapted to project into the angle at the lower portion of the channel, the last named die being cut away adjacent to the opposite side of the channel to provide a space for one side of the dovetailed projection when the other side is being formed.

7. Means for forming projections in sheet metal building material, comprising a lower die having a slanting upper face and having a longitudinal channel with parallel sides, the bottom of the channel being apsaid die having a longitudinal channel therein and having one edge shaped to conform to the side of the projection to be formed and a second die adapted to coact with the first named die and having a projection and a groove adjacent thereto which coact with the projection on the first named die for forming one side of the dove-tailed projection.

9. The method of making a metallic sheathing having grooves of substantially dovetail shape cross section with the sides of the grooves projecting beyond the opposite side of the sheet at the points where they join the sheet, which consists in forming one side of each of a series of said grooves with the adjacent projection on the opposite side of the sheet and then forming the opposite sides of each of said grooves with the corresponding projections on the opposite side of the sheet.

HALBERT E. WHITE.

proximately on the same slant as the upper face, said die having a longitudinal projection 23 corresponding to the shape of one side of the projection to be formed in the sheet metal, and a second die coacting with the first named die with a longitudinal groove 25 adapted to coact with the projection 23 and having a longitudinal projection 26 which coacts with the lower angle of the channel in the first named die, the second die also being cut away at 27 to form a space for receiving one side of the partially formed projection in the sheet.

8. Means for making dove-tailed projections in sheet metal, comprising a lower die having its upper face arranged at an angle to the horizontal which is substantially complementary to the angle formed between one side of the projection and the sheet, a gauge in alignment with the upper face of the die, 

